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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · mate · drill · wake · rash · ruler · pop · chest

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rash — a series
  4. pop — music
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pop — soda
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wake — a trail
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mate — a friend
  22. drill — army training
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com